Over in the US the second pop idol is well underway, and the show’s fourth judge has been announced as New York radio personality and hip-hop artist Angie Martinez. Asked about judging alongside BMG man Simon Cowell she told reporters: "Well, Simon is brutal. But the truth is that the music business is mean and honest and brutal. So if you don't have somebody like that on the panel then you're not doing a good service. 'Cause then you go out into the real world and the music business and you're in for a surprise."
In the course of attending American Idol auditions around America Martinez hopes to squeeze in a little self-promotion for her own new record ‘Animal house’. "I have to hit the road anyway for American Idol," she said. "I'll be, in the daytime, judging and, in the nighttime, I'll be in the clubs doing shows and on the radio promoting my album. So it's helping me out on the artist side, too."